Ramen Showdown: Ken’s

My first favourite ramen place was Ohsho at Cuppage Plaza. The ramen was great and the egg done perfect: firm whites and no solid bits in the runny yolk. I’d always eaten there on my own until the one fatal day I brought a friend to try it and and they betrayed me. The ramen was a complete FAIL. After that unfortunate incident, I’ve not been back and Ken’s has since replaced it as my favourite ramen place. The only problem is that I’ve only eaten there once before.

I persuaded Tristella to try Ken’s again with me to check if it’s indeed the best in my books. The ramen ($13.20) came topped with chashu, menma (bamboo shoots), spring onion, seaweed and a whole egg.

After snapping the requisite photo, I told my friend not to repeat my very unfortunate mistake of leaving the egg to the last, ending up with solid yolk. We both bit into our eggs to find only very slightly runny yolk. What a letdown.

Tristella said that I took too long taking photos. Plus, we should have sat at the counter instead of the annex. For the next visit, we should sit at the counter and grab the egg before the bowl is even set down before us. That resolution in mind, we proceeded to devour the rest of our meal.

The toppings were all good. I liked the chashu, it was soft and tender enough, given that it wasn’t too fatty. Tristella likes the chashu at Santouka, so I’ll have no choice but to go there for the next episode in the showdown! I liked the noodles, they were springy with good bite, though the Tampopo version wins by a mere smidgeon. The soup was just nice: flavourful and with just enough salt. I suspect Japanese people may prefer it saltier. Even though it was a pretty big bowl, I downed it all with no problem. Tristella couldn’t finish hers though.

Verdict: still my favourite, though not perfect. So far, the perfect ramen experience would be Ken’s soup and toppings, Tampopo’s noodles, Ohsho’s egg (at least the one in my memory), and Miharu’s appetisers of stir-fried beans and braised pork with mustard.